Southbank Library

The Southbank Library redevelopment project has commenced, with the appointment of Lyons as the architects and principal consultant.

LATEST UPDATE

Southbank Library opening

From Monday 25 February the new Southbank Library will open. Collections from the Lenton Parr Library (Southbank) and Louise Hanson-Dyer Music Library (previously at Parkville) have now been brought together under one roof.

Stop 1 - Student Services - will be joining us in the Hub Building, plus there’ll be an increased availability of existing student support services and some additional services on offer for the first time at Southbank. Students will continue to benefit from the specialist support our Southbank Library team provides and the Library team is really looking forward to welcoming them to the new building.

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ENGAGEMENT

As part of the design process, the architects will be actively engaging with academic staff and students to gain a deeper understanding of future library services and student experience.

COMMUNICATION

Communications will be circulated on how you can participate in the consultation process. We anticipate creating a state of the art library, which is purpose built to meet the needs and disciplines of the students and staff who serve as the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (which includes the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (MCM) and the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA)).

With the relocation of the MCM to the Southbank campus in early 2019, the LHDML and LPL library collections will be integrated to provide unified collections and consistent services to support the objectives of the Faculty from one site. This will greatly improve student experience, as students will no longer need to pursue resources at both locations. Similarly, researchers will also benefit from the consolidation of collections, and access to expert advice from the team of specialist librarians who will all be located at the one site. The Library consolidation will also reduce operational complexity.

ADDITIONAL SPACE

This project is designed to provide additional space at Southbank to permit expansion of space for student study seats and researchers, improved facilities, collections, staff accommodation and access to appropriate technology. When completed the new Southbank Library should occupy approximately 2770m2 of usable floor area based on projected growth in student numbers.

Although the Library will occupy most of the space in this building, the project has a broader vision – to create a central hub for students, fostering community amongst the student cohort at Southbank. It is envisaged that there will be a shared space for a range of student services. This space will provide the student services currently provided by Stop 1 and make provision for other service providers from Academic Services. The colocation of these services within the Library will give them more prominence and also provide students with more coherent access to these services. It will provide an opportunity to examine some options for service delivery in a shared space.

Given the shared aspirations for this redevelopment, the project will be developed in close collaboration with the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music and Academic Services.